Protected
by Not Just a Nerd
Summary: Justin and Alex are split apart when their family is taken into Witness Protection. Or maybe they're brought closer? JALEX. Two-shot. "Those memories were locked away in the safest part of her heart forever, always secure, always protected."
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own wowp **

**Warning: An OC dies. Nobody you know though. Nothing graphic :) **

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><p><em>Chapter 1<em>

She remembers that day too well, like it's a picture in a frame hanging right in front of her eyes. Who can ever forget a day that changed his/her life?

It was a dull Saturday afternoon. Summer was at its peak, with the sun directly overhead, and even the air conditioning did nothing to soothe their ache. The weather seemed to be hostile, trying to burn down everything. It was as if the weather was signaling that something bad was going to happen. Of course they didn't understand this back then...

It started out like any other day. It was a slow day- there were only about five customers in the sub-shop. The whole Russo bunch was working though. Well, everyone except Alex. She was busy chatting away with this customer named Chelsea, an eighteen year-old red-head. Chelsea had first come to the sub-shop two months ago, and during this time, she and Alex had become really good friends. Alex sat down beside her and kept complaining about how insensitive and unfair her parents were, how they were not allowing her to go to a concert in Brooklyn, how they didn't trust her at all or give her any freedom, blah blah blah. Justin dragged her behind the kitchen counter to give her the "don't rant to your customers" lecture that their father gave their mother. She rolled her eyes and kept mocking every word he said. This was the happy life.

And then it happened all too quickly. Two guys sitting down at a table suddenly got up, took out their guns from their pockets, shot Chelsea _twelve times_-the sound of each shot piercing through everyone's souls and making them shiver in terror- and ran away. It happened so fast that all they could do was blink and stare in shock, unable to do anything. Terror can render even the strongest wizards useless.

The only thing she distinctly remembers is Justin wrapping his arms around her protectively, shielding her from any possible harm. The rest is all blurry. There were screams and groans and blood on the floor and a look of pain on Chelsea's pale, almost lifeless face as her eyelids fluttered shut and the sound of a siren from an ambulance amidst the sound of her own heart pounding with insanity.

The next thing she knew was that they were all sitting at a Witsec inspector's office, wizards division.

"So…. We think it's better if we split your family into two." The inspector began speaking, sputtering out every word slowly. "That way you'd be harder to locate."

"No!" Theresa protested, shaking her head violently. "You can't tear us apart!"

"We have to", the inspector said sadly, but with conviction in her eyes, her eyes pleading them all to understand the danger of the situation, "This is a huge gang. They don't even care about their own lives. They can shoot you down and kill themselves right after that. Now how hard do you think it will be for them to locate a family with a middle aged Spanish speaking mother, an Italian father, and three kids- one female and two male?"

Theresa didn't speak, just kept shaking her head. Jerry kept sighing and blinking back his tears.

She knew they were going to be split away. And she knew she had to be the resistance. She let out a dry, humorless laugh. "Are you _kidding me_? Your stupid program can't protect us all? Isn't that what you're supposed to do? Why did we join it then? Why did we agree to be witnesses?"

"Because you said you cared about Chelsea and wanted her murderers to be punished", the inspector reminded her. "And because we want to do what's _safest _for all of you. So please, think about it, Mr. and Mrs. Russo."

And it was so unfair that the decision was left to their parents! They were going to do what they thought was best for their children!

She just sat down and sniffled. She knew it very well what their parents were going to do. She knew it was all over.

And they did it within less than a week's time. She and Max went with their mother, Justin went with their father. She wished she knew where they were being relocated to! But everyone refused to tell her. All she could do was obey every word they said. This was big, and she knew her will was not going to work with them. Her whims were being taken from her too, just like everything else. She thought her parents were unfair, but now, nothing seemed more unfair than life itself. She couldn't even wish her father and her brother goodbye. She ran away, angry at everyone and disappointed. She still wonders if she hurt them, if this was the wrong thing to do. She hopes they have forgiven her by now. And she wishes she has a chance to go back in time and redo the goodbye. She wants to hug them and never let go _so bad_!

The next week was again a blur. She only remembers unpacking her things and settling down in her new _house_ in the new city. She remembers being given the new name Alex Monroe, remembers being told the back-story that their father died in a car-crash, and that they never had another brother. Her heart trembled when they wiped away all of their existences in one moment, and her heart shattered to pieces when Justin became someone who never existed in the first place. Everything sucked so much; she forgot to care about anything.

A month passed, and the day of the hearing arrived. She remembers meeting her father and her brother for the last time in the court. Her father looked like he had aged a thousand years within the month, his face was sad and his eyes were broken. And Justin? She had never seen him in so much of pain. She couldn't even bear to look at him for long. The image flashes in her nightmares sometimes, and it still bugs her as much as it did that day.

"Alex!" He had called out to her, once they were outside the court-room. For once, the inspectors were wise enough to stand aside, or she's sure that she would have gotten into a huge fight with them.

"Justin!" she ran up to him, engulfing him in a tight hug. She never wanted it to end, she never wanted to let go, because that would mean their time together was over, and they'd have to go their separate ways. But remembers that feeling, that "apocalypse is coming" panic, that "this can't be happening" disbelief. And that "I don't want to do this, please help me!" helplessness.

"Be a good girl", he whispered to her, stroking her hair. "Promise me you won't do anything that'll get you into trouble? These are dangerous people. Alex, promise me!"

She only nodded. What else could she do when she was crying so much, and focusing on feeling Justin with her, and embedding this feeling into her memory for eternity? Well, that's all she has got for the rest of her life, assuming they would never meet again. She has no idea why the Wizard competition never happened and she never lost her powers. She tried teleporting to Justin so many times, but it was blocked. Damn them!

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><p>It had been almost eight years after that. Eight miserable years that they had miraculously managed to survive. Life had set into a rhythm by then. Her mom had stopped crying, and started working in a flower shop, earning money for their household. Max had become quiet and a loner in the beginning, but he had finally recovered and come out of his shell. He was in college, outside state. And Alex? She had graduated with fashion, just like she always wanted. Now she was working for a famous fashion magazine. However, nothing about living her dreams excited her anymore. The only thing that had the power to make her happy was imagining what it would be like if she ran into Justin at some random place. She really wished that would happen!<p>

From the outside, everything in their lives was perfect. But on the inside, she knew nothing was, and nothing ever would be. They were all incomplete, fragmented. She would catch her mother whimpering in her sleep sometimes. She would catch Max zoning out while talking on the phone. She, on her part, didn't bother to hold back her tears when she was alone in her apartment. Why did this happen to them? What had they done wrong?

It hurt not to have any contact with her dad and Justin. She wondered how they were doing, if they were alright, if they were this miserable. Sometimes she would sit with her phone with this irresistible urge to call them up. But what was their number now? What number was she supposed to dial to get to them? It sucked that even keeping a photo was against the rules. Most of the time, she'd just close her eyes and picture their faces, reassure herself that yes, she still remembered them, she could never forget them. Identities could be wiped away, but memories couldn't be. Sometimes she would paint their pictures on her canvas in the brightest possible hues. That shouldn't be against the rules, right? And if it was, well, screw the rules! When did she care about rules anyway?

She found herself wondering about them most of the times, she tried her best to live in the memories. Those memories were locked away in the safest part of her heart, held close to her forever, always secure, _always protected_. Nobody could ever take that away.

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><p><strong>AN: This was the first part. Sorry if I got any details wrong. My knowledge of Witsec is from "In plain sight" :P Hope you liked it. I know, not my best, but the idea just wasn't leaving me alone! Please review :) **


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

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><p>She was sitting at her desk in her office, chewing her pen with her teeth, and trying to analyze what was wrong with her design. Something just didn't seem to fit right. Was it the color, or the curve near the waist, or the slashes near the wrists? Or was it just her being fearful? She groaned and tried to focus harder on her work.<p>

That's when this feeling over-took her. This intense, strong, feeling of longing. She had always missed her family a lot, but never had the pain hurt her physically. It felt like a part of her flesh was calling to her, _like blood was pulling her_.

And then Justin walked in through the front door.

_This has to be a dream!_

Her heart stopped beating when she first saw him. Her pen slipped out of her grip without her even noticing. With thick rimmed glasses, a beard, and a blue suit on, with matching tie and matching boots, this was an older, more sophisticated version of Justin. She wondered if she was imagining things again.

But she knew this wasn't a hallucination when he didn't vanish into thin air. She knew this was real when her boss walked up to him and shook hands. "Can I have your attention please, people? This is Mr. Russell. Justin Russell. He's a statistician. He is going to be working with our unit from now on. Okay, now feel free to get back to your work."

She blinked a few times. This still felt like a dream, this was too good to be true. She held her breath as his eyes darted left and right, and waited for him to notice her.

He froze when his eyes met hers. She could see the instant look of recognition, she could see the disbelief and uncertainty; she could see the pain and sorrow, and then she saw the relief and the happiness wash through him. But it vanished almost instantly as it appeared. He was looking away the very next moment.

She expected him to walk up to her and talk to her right then. Her heart broke a little when he didn't. He went to his table and began working straight away. She tried to hide her disappointment and focus on her work again. She found that she hated the dress she was designing even more now, everything seemed to be off!

All day long she waited for him to talk to her, to acknowledge her presence. He didn't. And it scared it. Wasn't this her Justin then? Was the look he gave her in the morning just her imagination? Or was this Justin and he had forgotten her? She only hoped none of these was true. Hadn't she suffered enough in life already?

Their work shift ended together. They stepped into the elevator with each other, surrounded by five other workers, yet away from anyone else. She realized that this anticipation was making it difficult for her to breathe. She couldn't live like this, not knowing what was going on. She had to do something soon, if he didn't make his move, whatever he was planning to do. Her thoughts were disrupted when the door opened with a ding, snapping her back to reality.

Her heart was crumbling to pieces when she saw him walk to his car, without casting even a single glance backwards at her. _No, no, no, no, you can't forget me! Please remember! I'm Alex! I tease you and I taunt you and I make your life miserable, but you love me anyway! I'm jealous of how smart you are, and how kind and how nice. You are everything I ever wanted (to be)! Please don't leave me here. _

Her heart felt like it was being dragged down to the floor. But it jumped back into position and started fluttering in excitement and anticipation when she saw him open the door of the passenger seat. He kept it open, and got inside the driver's sit quietly. And he waited, with his face as hard and emotionless as steel, and his eyes fixed on the road.

She hesitated. Did he open the door for _her_? Or was he waiting for someone else? Was it alright if she got inside the car?

She laughed at herself when she realized she was thinking so much. This was _her _Justin. There was nothing to be scared of!

With that thought in mind, she took in a deep breath and gathered up all her courage. Eight years can shake a person's core; this was almost like seeing a ghost. Slowly, but steadily, she walked up to his car, got in, and shut the door behind her. She heart skipped beats, and her stomach clenched, as she waited for him to yell a "who the hell are you?" at her for trespassing into his property and throw her away. She finally relaxed when he started the engine.

So he did remember her! And he was going to talk to her!

The happiness was too much to contain. She clapped her hands and squealed, like a little girl. And then she burst into tears. This was actually happening! She had finally run into him at a place other than her dreams! Who would have ever thought that they could cross paths like this, and today?

The drive was silent. For some reason, Justin didn't speak a word, so she decided to keep quiet as well. Wherever he intended to take her, she knew he'd talk to her there. She didn't care where he was taking her, she still trusted him, more than she trusted anyone else.

The car stopped in front of a small house. She realized it was his home. She started examining the house carefully, scrutinizing its color, and the cliché white picket fence. This was totally the Justin she knew! Thank goodness he hadn't changed into someone else!

He got out of the car and held her door open. She got out, feeling a bit dizzy to be alone in his presence, to be so close to him after so long. His smell intoxicated her. She felt like she was in a trance, in a reverie, in a dream.

Her heart began beating faster again when he unlocked the front door and took a peak inside, as if to ensure that they were alone and it was safe. Justin and his over-paranoia, some things never change. Finally, he held the door open for her and invited her in. She stepped inside happily, examining the inside of his house. All she could see was piles and piles of books and lame comics. So, Justin was still a dork. She never thought that it could make her feel so relieved and so happy!

And then, before either had a chance to say a word, his lips were on hers, kissing her hungrily. All the longing and all the emotions ultimately came down to this- this secret hidden thing they always had for each other. Now it was surfacing, more dominant than ever. She found herself melting into the kiss, pouring all of her soul into it.

When they finally pulled back to breathe, she couldn't wipe the smile off her face, and he couldn't hold back his tears. He cupped her cheeks in his hands, staring into her eyes, as if trying to enter her soul. She raised her hand up and touched his face, feeling his skin under her fingertips. So this was real, this wasn't a dream. She kept telling herself. Her mind still refused to work properly, refused to believe that this was real, because if this ended up being a dream, her heart would be shattered into pieces that she could never glue together again.

He started feeling her all over. He began by stroking her hair, then her eyebrows, her eyes, her eyelashes, her nose, her cheeks, he traced his fingers on her lips, on her throat, feeling the pulse there and enjoying how it was on the over-drive, and trailed down to her collar-bone. That's how far he went. Some things about Justin never change. He rubbed her back then, pulling her closer to him, and ran his fingers up and down her arms, stopping at her hands, holding her right hand in his, and bringing her left hand up to kiss her fingertips. She let out a soft sigh of content and closed her eyes, ready to lose herself in this ocean of feelings surging through them.

He finally breathed out, as if shaken out from a state of hypnosis. "You've grown up so much…."

She chuckled. "Wait till you see Max then."

He chuckled back, bending forwards and making their foreheads touch. "How's mom?"

"She's okay. In good health and wealth." She shrugged, "What about dad?"

"He's good…. I guess…." He trailed off, but he didn't seem too sure. When she raised an eyebrow, he sighed. "Dad's taken to alcohol. He misses mom. That's all."

She nodded looking down at the ground. He followed her gaze. "I'm sorry about the…. I just couldn't control myself anymore."

She smiled, "I'm glad you didn't, Justin. I didn't wanna control myself anymore either."

He shook his head, breaking away from her. It hurt even to say this, to state this out loud. "But…. But you're still my sister. This is….. This isn't right."

She grabbed his arm and forced him to turn around, to meet her eyes. She snaked her hand up to his hair, tilted her head to a side, and gave him a sly smile. "I am Alex Monroe. I have only one brother and his name is Max."

From the way he smiled, she knew he was more than happy to give in. He wrapped his arms around her again. And now she felt home, now she felt safe, now she felt _protected. _

_-The end_

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><p><strong>AN: hope you enjoyed reading this. This was a different idea I was trying. I actually wanted to make this a chapter fic, but I wasn't sure if you'd like this, plus my lack of time, hence the two-shot. Please review and tell me what you think :) thanks! **


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